The Saudi Snooker Masters will be held in Riyadh from August 31st to September 7th.New event joins British Championship, Masters and World Championship as ‘fourth major’ on World Snooker Tour schedule
Last updated: 14/02/24 6:06am
Ronnie O’Sullivan won his last two major titles, the British Championship in December and the Masters in January.
Saudi Arabia is set to host its first ranked snooker event later this year, with the inaugural Saudi Snooker Masters boasting more than £2 million in prize money.
This puts the tournament second only to the World Championship in terms of prize money, with the World Snooker Tour positioning it as the “fourth major” alongside the traditional triple crown of the World Championship, British Championship and Masters.
A 10-year deal has been agreed for the event, which will be held in Riyadh from August 31 to September 7 and will be open to all 128 tour players and six local wildcards.
The Riyadh Season World Masters, a non-ranking event limited to the world’s top eight, will be held in March and will introduce a new “Golden Ball” that could potentially increase the maximum break to 167.
This year’s World Pool Championships will also be held in Jeddah from June 3rd to 8th.
Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Sports, said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has built a reputation for growth, creating new opportunities for sport to reach new fans in new markets.
O’Sullivan won 23 Triple Crown titles
“The country has hosted some of the world’s leading sporting events in recent years, welcoming visitors from all over the world to experience its passion for sport and unique culture.
“The addition of both the Saudi Snooker Masters and the World Pool Championship over the next decade further strengthens it as it heralds an exciting chapter for snooker and nine-ball pool.
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Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekor explains why Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said last year that he didn’t care about accusations of sportswashing given the growth of the sport in the country.
“We’ve seen boxing have had an incredible impact on this region, and now we’re going to see billiards cement that tradition here, too, and give some of the best players on the planet a great I believe it will create opportunities and competition.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan won the British Championship in December and the Masters a month later, aiming to win a record eighth World Championship title later this year, completing all three Triple Crown events in the same season. He had a chance to win for the first time. Year.
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David Beckham has spoken about going to the snooker hall with his teammates after Manchester United training and said he feels Ronnie O’Sullivan could be the greatest snooker player of all time.
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